Title: Pure SmokeArtist: Jason BrumbalowProducers: EllusionistLink: Not available for purchase yet.Retail Price: $147 for the Pure Smoke device and it will come with 5 white and 5 red smoke cartridges.* White Smoke refill cartridges should be around $2.29 each when you buy in quantity of 20+.* Colored Smoke should be around $2.79 each when you buy 20+.* Each cartridge should give 35-45 shots of smoke per cartridge.

Learning Difficulty: EasyNotes: This effect deals with the production of a smoke like substance (vapor) from your hands. The vapors are 100% safe, and nontoxic, however children under the age of 18 should be advised against purchasing it without a parents consent.

Includes: • Gimmick• 10 Refills for Gimmick that is good for about 300 to 400 performances total. (30-40 per refill pending use.)• A card with the instructions on how to download the Instructions video

The magician has a card selected, it’s shown, signed, and dealt to the table. The magician selects an indifferent card, and deals it to the table as well. He then holds his hands over the indifferent card, saying he can feel the magic taking place. It feels hot. Without warning, huge plumes of white smoke raise from under his hand, choking the card in its swirling vapor. The magician slowly turns the card over as the smoke still rises off of it, and it’s turned into the signed card! The effect is simple and pure. Pure Smoke that is.

Pure Smoke is Ellusionist’s big, end of summer smash hit that magicians have been waiting for since the release of Ultra Smoke 2000. Every problem that Ultra Smoke faced, Pure Smoke fixes, and then brings along a few challenges of its own. This utility device is a powerful presentation tool in the hands of the magi that knows how to use it, and nothing more than an expensive toy in everyone else’s hands. The minute I saw it demonstrated at the Magic Live convention, I knew I had to own one for myself.

Pure Smoke works on the same principle that E-Cigarettes operate off of, so it produces plumes of thick smoke that are in reality only water vapor. The refill cartridges are double thick, and manufactured especially for Ellusionist so they don’t contain any dangerous chemicals usually associated with other E-Cig refills. Unlike other smoke producing devices, such as the Ultra Smoke 2000, since Pure Smoke doesn’t use chemical heavy loads the smoke it produces doesn’t rot away or destroy the lining of your jackets, coats, or shirts that you have it pinned into. The refill cartridges will produce between thirty to forty bursts of smoke depending on how often you use it, and the refill cartridges will be sold separately on Ellusionist later this fall for around $20 dollars USD for 10 refills. The device itself is capable of delivering smoke in two intervals. One is a three second burst, the other a five second burst. The amount of smoke produced is dependent on how long you hold the switch down for. Right now the only colored smoke that is available to the public is white, however by the end of the year Ellusionist plans to release other colors such as red, black, blue, and green! The rigging allows for the option to either strap the device to your wrist, or pin it into the inside of your shirt or jacket. If you wear a coat, or vest it is possible to rig it so you can produce the smoke sleeveless, it just depends on how creative you are setting it up!

The smoke producing apprentice is simple in design, and pretty rugged. I’ve worn it for upwards of six hours in a day, and taken it with me everywhere from the movie theaters, to gigs I was performing at. It isn’t all that uncomfortable to wear at first, but I found that it did get in the way of casual activity after an extended period of wearing it. I found it best to only wear it if I know I’ll be using it for a specific effect.

The Pure Smoke system is a powerful visual device that can lend itself to many applications; it just takes a little creativity to figure out how you’ll make it work for you. It can enhance productions, multiplications, vanishes, and transpositions. I would honestly urge the buyer though, to fully think through their intended use before running out and smoking up every effect they do. The first time you produce the smoke is absolutely amazing for the spectator, but the second and third time loses much of the initial surprise. This is one of those effects that actually become more effective the less you use it during a routine.

The instructional video that accompanies the product is about 38 minutes long. Jason, the device’s creator, walks you through everything from the history of how Pure Smoke came into being, into how to set it up, care for it, and use it. Jason also explains what all comes with the product. The video is very direct, very thorough. Jason does a great job of educating you on how to care for your Pure Smoke, the safety concerns involved, and gives you some good performance ideas as well. Another neat bonus to purchasing the Pure Smoke system is access to the private forum. The Pure Smoke Forum is a private forum on Ellusionists website that owners of the system will get access to in order to share their ideas, and applications for the system. Personally one thing I’d like to see though for a future release is a short production detailing the many different ideas for Pure Smoke’s use, similar to what they did with the Army of 52 DVD, and maybe it could compile some of the best ideas shared on their private forum too.

As much as I love the idea of producing smoke from your hands, this system isn’t complete without its problems. I spoke with the VP of Ellusionist, and the device’s creator Jason Brumbalow about these flaws at Magic Live so they may or may not exist when the product releases to the public. However in the interest of a thorough review here they are, as they exist in my personal model. There is a noticeable flaw in the way the refill cartridge attaches to the unit. Since it just pushes on, it can (and often does) become lose after a period of wear, and/or use. This often results in the cartridge falling off, and becoming lost. When you only have ten of these things, and no way of getting anymore until the product officially launches this can be very annoying! I can see it becoming frustrating after the product releases just because of the need to constantly replace the lost refills. Until this problem is addressed in the design of the unit, the best way to help prevent the loss of the cartridges is to wrap either black gaffing or electrical tape around the base of the unit and the cartridge. This seems to work for the most part, though it is possible the tape loses its’ effectiveness after prolonged wear.

Pure Smoke is very practical, and due to its versatility can be applied to many different presentations of magic ranging from close up, to stage, and event mentalism or bizarre. I can only imagine how much more versatile it will become once the additional smoke colors become available to the general public.

Overall I really liked this product, and believe in its potential as a utility device. It takes a little bit of experimenting playing with it to dial it in, but the results are worth it once you figure out how to set it up so it works for you. If you perform in expensive costume pieces, as I do, the ability to produce smoke without fear of destroying your wardrobe is also an added plus. There are bound to be people out there who won’t like Pure Smoke, they’ll say it won’t work for them because of this or that, but that’s to be expected. For the rest of us who figure out how to apply this device to our magic, we’ll enjoy the results it brings.

When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The four points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, Sound and Video Quality, and Overall Quality.

Product Quality: 6 The product quality is great! This effect is very visual, practical, portable, and versatile. The price is okay, and the refills aren’t that expensive. The only reason why this product is ranking so low on the quality score is because of the frequency I’ve lost the smoke cartridges during my short time using it.

Teaching Quality: 8 Jason gives you all the information you need to care for, perform, and use Pure Smoke, as well as plenty of back ground information to how it came into existence, and why it’s superior to other existing systems like the Ultra Smoke 2000.

Sound and Video Quality: 8 The quality of the instructional video upholds with Ellusionists typical high standards for their products. The sound is crisp, and there is no video abnormalities, lag, or artifacts.

Overall Quality: 8 I loved this product! This is an amazing effect, and I’ve enjoyed playing with it since I got it. I am looking forward to the color smoke refills that should be out by the end of the year.

Last edited by William_Draven on Thu Sep 01, 2011 3:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.

1) $147 for the Pure Smoke device and it will come with 5 white and 5 red smoke cartridges.2) White Smoke refill cartridges should be around $2.29 each when you buy in quantity of 20+.3) Colored Smoke should be around $2.79 each when you buy 20+.4) Each cartridge should give 35-45 shots of smoke per cartridge.

Draven, you really need to research this better before posting a review. I'm just saying...

Dude there's a 38 minute video explaining the device, how to use it, etc on their site:

Draven, you really need to research this better before posting a review. I'm just saying...

You really need to read my entire review before you try blasting me like this.

William_Draven wrote:

Edit: Ellusionist does provide a link to a downloadable instruction video when you purchase the product, however either do to a corrupted file, or my computer I am unable to play the file after it downloads despite repeated download attempts. The rest of the review is written from the perspective of a nonexistent tutorial video.

Correction. I called your effort to name call and swear childish. This is not my standard approach to everyone, as you would suggest. I normally am quite polite and respectful to those who are respectful in return.

Edit: In direct response to your question above, Yes I've had issues with losing the cartridges all together. If they become lose and fall out/off they can easily become lost. Often because I haven't immediately noticed that it's missing. Because of this, yes it does impact my quality score because I don't like the idea of having to keep a very close eye on my cartridge refills to make sure that they are still in the device.

What does everyone think about the fact that Jason and Ellusionist have gone out of their way to expose the workings behind Pure Smoke to the open media, and even brag about it?

Ellusionist's Pure Smoke is by far not an original idea, and there are in fact several smoke devices on the market today that are either similiar, or at least produces the exact same effect. In otherwords, by exposing their Pure Smoke unit to everyone outside of the magic community, (and to do it so blatantly) they are also exposing all the other creator's product that produce smoke from hands or mouth.

When it comes down to what the spectator witnessess, it doesn't matter what the unit looks like that is hidden, most people who watch the Discovery Channel and visit Gizmodo and all the other places who have picked up the stories now know how a magician makes smoke come from his hands and mouth.

Magicians should be taking notice of this apparent breach in ethics that many magicians hold strong and true to. "No one should reveal how a magic trick is accomplished, especially when it exposes others creations". Jason's complete ignorance and disrespect to the other creator's who have similiar products on the market should serve to the magic community as to why Ellusionist should be ashamed of themselves.

Whenever you use Allan Rorrison's Smoke, or Adam's SmokeV2, or any other similiar device, you can thank Jason at Ellusionist for exposing the product you paid good money for.

What does everyone think about the fact that Jason and Ellusionist have gone out of their way to expose the workings behind Pure Smoke to the open media, and even brag about it?

Believe it or not the biggest danger of exposure is not from the laity. It is from within. In that sense what they are doing is merely showing other magicians how their device works. A device like pure smoke is NOT a magic effect. It merely enhances the magical moments of other effects. When you have a device that works well and you are reasonably sure other magicians won't be able to reproduce it without the equipment you provide then there is very little danger.

Lets face it. Laymen have other hobbies. In order to discover how smoke was magically produced from your finger tips they would first have to do some research. Find out the name of effects that create smoke, watch trailer after trailer until they find one that looks similar to the smoke effect they saw, and then they will stumble upon the Ellusionist training videos. If they go through that much trouble they are probably well on their way to adopting magic as a hobby anyways. Now lets say that the laymen in question does not have any interest in becoming a magician. Assume he/she's hobby is photography. Chances are when they get home from your wonderful smoke filled performance they are more likely to start searching the internet for reviews on the latest greatest Digital SLR.

If they were just merely showing how their device works I would understand, but that is not the case here. There are other very similiar units on the market. Most of them may be different in design but most are based on the same method. They also all produce the same effect.

By exposing their product, they are in fact exposing all units that produce smoke from the hands.

They're a corporation. Corporations like to make money. Exposing it fully explains all potential questions, and maximizes sales in the magic community since everybody knows the workings. It also reduces email and forum questions.

Exposing it to Gizmodo and the general public makes them more money, because now you've leaked out of the small magic market into a bigger one.

If they were just merely showing how their device works I would understand, but that is not the case here. There are other very similiar units on the market. Most of them may be different in design but most are based on the same method. They also all produce the same effect.

By exposing their product, they are in fact exposing all units that produce smoke from the hands.

Well if you want to have an educated discussion about this you are going to need to respond to my statement as opposed to simply repeating yours. The key is very few laymen will stumble across that video. Even if they do the chances of it making a difference in your performance is negligible. Millions of laymen saw the TT exposed in the movie "Night at the Museum" and yet thousands of magicians effectively use thumb tips every day.

Title: Pure SmokeArtist: Jason BrumbalowProducers: EllusionistLink: Not available for purchase yet.Retail Price: $147 for the Pure Smoke device and it will come with 5 white and 5 red smoke cartridges.* White Smoke refill cartridges should be around $2.29 each when you buy in quantity of 20+.* Colored Smoke should be around $2.79 each when you buy 20+.* Each cartridge should give 35-45 shots of smoke per cartridge.

Learning Difficulty: EasyNotes: This effect deals with the production of a smoke like substance (vapor) from your hands. The vapors are 100% safe, and nontoxic, however children under the age of 18 should be advised against purchasing it without a parents consent.

Includes: • Gimmick• 10 Refills for Gimmick that is good for about 300 to 400 performances total. (30-40 per refill pending use.)• A card with the instructions on how to download the Instructions video

The magician has a card selected, it’s shown, signed, and dealt to the table. The magician selects an indifferent card, and deals it to the table as well. He then holds his hands over the indifferent card, saying he can feel the magic taking place. It feels hot. Without warning, huge plumes of white smoke raise from under his hand, choking the card in its swirling vapor. The magician slowly turns the card over as the smoke still rises off of it, and it’s turned into the signed card! The effect is simple and pure. Pure Smoke that is.

Pure Smoke is Ellusionist’s big, end of summer smash hit that magicians have been waiting for since the release of Ultra Smoke 2000. Every problem that Ultra Smoke faced, Pure Smoke fixes, and then brings along a few challenges of its own. This utility device is a powerful presentation tool in the hands of the magi that knows how to use it, and nothing more than an expensive toy in everyone else’s hands. The minute I saw it demonstrated at the Magic Live convention, I knew I had to own one for myself.

Pure Smoke works on the same principle that E-Cigarettes operate off of, so it produces plumes of thick smoke that are in reality only water vapor. The refill cartridges are double thick, and manufactured especially for Ellusionist so they don’t contain any dangerous chemicals usually associated with other E-Cig refills. Unlike other smoke producing devices, such as the Ultra Smoke 2000, since Pure Smoke doesn’t use chemical heavy loads the smoke it produces doesn’t rot away or destroy the lining of your jackets, coats, or shirts that you have it pinned into. The refill cartridges will produce between thirty to forty bursts of smoke depending on how often you use it, and the refill cartridges will be sold separately on Ellusionist later this fall for around $20 dollars USD for 10 refills. The device itself is capable of delivering smoke in two intervals. One is a three second burst, the other a five second burst. The amount of smoke produced is dependent on how long you hold the switch down for. Right now the only colored smoke that is available to the public is white, however by the end of the year Ellusionist plans to release other colors such as red, black, blue, and green! The rigging allows for the option to either strap the device to your wrist, or pin it into the inside of your shirt or jacket. If you wear a coat, or vest it is possible to rig it so you can produce the smoke sleeveless, it just depends on how creative you are setting it up!

The smoke producing apprentice is simple in design, and pretty rugged. I’ve worn it for upwards of six hours in a day, and taken it with me everywhere from the movie theaters, to gigs I was performing at. It isn’t all that uncomfortable to wear at first, but I found that it did get in the way of casual activity after an extended period of wearing it. I found it best to only wear it if I know I’ll be using it for a specific effect.

The Pure Smoke system is a powerful visual device that can lend itself to many applications; it just takes a little creativity to figure out how you’ll make it work for you. It can enhance productions, multiplications, vanishes, and transpositions. I would honestly urge the buyer though, to fully think through their intended use before running out and smoking up every effect they do. The first time you produce the smoke is absolutely amazing for the spectator, but the second and third time loses much of the initial surprise. This is one of those effects that actually become more effective the less you use it during a routine.

The instructional video that accompanies the product is about 38 minutes long. Jason, the device’s creator, walks you through everything from the history of how Pure Smoke came into being, into how to set it up, care for it, and use it. Jason also explains what all comes with the product. The video is very direct, very thorough. Jason does a great job of educating you on how to care for your Pure Smoke, the safety concerns involved, and gives you some good performance ideas as well. Another neat bonus to purchasing the Pure Smoke system is access to the private forum. The Pure Smoke Forum is a private forum on Ellusionists website that owners of the system will get access to in order to share their ideas, and applications for the system. Personally one thing I’d like to see though for a future release is a short production detailing the many different ideas for Pure Smoke’s use, similar to what they did with the Army of 52 DVD, and maybe it could compile some of the best ideas shared on their private forum too.

As much as I love the idea of producing smoke from your hands, this system isn’t complete without its problems. I spoke with the VP of Ellusionist, and the device’s creator Jason Brumbalow about these flaws at Magic Live so they may or may not exist when the product releases to the public. However in the interest of a thorough review here they are, as they exist in my personal model. There is a noticeable flaw in the way the refill cartridge attaches to the unit. Since it just pushes on, it can (and often does) become lose after a period of wear, and/or use. This often results in the cartridge falling off, and becoming lost. When you only have ten of these things, and no way of getting anymore until the product officially launches this can be very annoying! I can see it becoming frustrating after the product releases just because of the need to constantly replace the lost refills. Until this problem is addressed in the design of the unit, the best way to help prevent the loss of the cartridges is to wrap either black gaffing or electrical tape around the base of the unit and the cartridge. This seems to work for the most part, though it is possible the tape loses its’ effectiveness after prolonged wear.

Pure Smoke is very practical, and due to its versatility can be applied to many different presentations of magic ranging from close up, to stage, and event mentalism or bizarre. I can only imagine how much more versatile it will become once the additional smoke colors become available to the general public.

Overall I really liked this product, and believe in its potential as a utility device. It takes a little bit of experimenting playing with it to dial it in, but the results are worth it once you figure out how to set it up so it works for you. If you perform in expensive costume pieces, as I do, the ability to produce smoke without fear of destroying your wardrobe is also an added plus. There are bound to be people out there who won’t like Pure Smoke, they’ll say it won’t work for them because of this or that, but that’s to be expected. For the rest of us who figure out how to apply this device to our magic, we’ll enjoy the results it brings.

When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The four points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, Sound and Video Quality, and Overall Quality.

Product Quality: 6 The product quality is great! This effect is very visual, practical, portable, and versatile. The price is okay, and the refills aren’t that expensive. The only reason why this product is ranking so low on the quality score is because of the frequency I’ve lost the smoke cartridges during my short time using it.

Teaching Quality: 8 Jason gives you all the information you need to care for, perform, and use Pure Smoke, as well as plenty of back ground information to how it came into existence, and why it’s superior to other existing systems like the Ultra Smoke 2000.

Sound and Video Quality: 8 The quality of the instructional video upholds with Ellusionists typical high standards for their products. The sound is crisp, and there is no video abnormalities, lag, or artifacts.

Overall Quality: 8 I loved this product! This is an amazing effect, and I’ve enjoyed playing with it since I got it. I am looking forward to the color smoke refills that should be out by the end of the year.

Good review. I just pre ordered this cant wait. But one thing, this to me is not a effect but more of something your add to a effect to make it more magic like.

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